Five World Cup stars who could move to the Premier League

After four weeks of non-stop football in Russia, the 2018 World Cup has come to an end. France were crowned world champions for the second time, after some impressive performances in the knockout stages.

It was a World Cup with some truly memorable moments. We saw Germany become the third consecutive world champions to be eliminated during the group stage, after they were beaten by both Mexico and South Korea.

Cristiano Ronaldo produced possibly the most impressive individual display, scoring a brilliant hat trick against Spain in the group stage, including a superb last minute free kick to earn his side a point. Kylian Mbappe also produced some excellent performances, including against Argentina in the round of 16.

Hosts Russia shocked everyone with a run to the quarter finals, which saw them knock out Spain in the round of 16, before they were dumped out by Croatia on penalties. England were another team who put together a surprising run, reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 1990.

But it wasn’t just the teams who were looking to make a big impact in Russia. For a number of players, this was a chance for them to make an impression on the biggest stage of them all, and perhaps earn themselves a move abroad.

There will have been a number of eyes from the Premier League watching what was going on in Russia. And with just four weeks left in the transfer window, clubs will be looking at who impressed at the World Cup, and if they would fit into their side. Here are five men whose performances in Russia might have earned them a move to a Premier League side.

#1 Ante Rebic (Croatia)

Ante Rebic

Croatia put together an impressive run to reach the final of the World Cup for the first time in their history. This run was partly engineered by the side’s raft of top midfielders, including the likes of Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Ivan Perisic. Indeed, it was Modric who took home the Golden Ball award for best player at the tournament, but it was also a competition where Rebic established himself as a key member of this midfield.

He is a slightly different player to the other men in that midfield. He is a strong, powerful runner, who has shown that he has an excellent finishing product to match. He is currently at Eintracht Frankfurt, so not one of Europe’s biggest clubs, and there will be interest in him. He has been linked with a move to Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham, and you get the feeling he would be a good fit at those clubs, as they are all teams who like to have wide players in their side. At 24, he is approaching the peak of his career, so will want to be playing week-in, week-out, so that could have a large baring on where he ends up.